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What is a Loony Dook?

The wave hits!

What is a Loony Dook? Ask Erskine Events Coordinator Ginger Pitts and First Lady Von Adamson, who joined a throng of enthusiasts rushing into the frigid North Sea on New Year’s Day in Scotland.

At 11:00 a.m. that day, temperatures were below 40 degrees in Dornoch, Scotland, with water temperatures around 45 degrees. Mrs. Adamson and Ginger, accompanied by their Scottish friend Margaret Calder, rolled up their pants legs and ran into the surf, coats and all. They became Loony Dookers.

The name Loony Dook combines the slang word for crazy with the Scottish word “dook,” which means to bathe or dip. Every New Years Day, crowds gather at locations across Scotland—some participants dressed in creative costumes—to brave the wintry waters.

When Mrs. Adamson first told Ginger about the Loony Dook, Ginger said, “That’s crazy!” Soon, though, she found herself in the water among the “crazy,” having the time of her life. She recalls an unexpected wave that crashed into the three women, wetting the hems of their coats. They remained on their feet, but a man nearby was knocked over and floated into them. Though the women were in the ocean for less than half a minute, Ginger says she “had so much fun it felt like 30 minutes. It was an adventure!”

From left, Ginger Pitts, Von Adamson, and Margaret Calder

Mrs. Adamson’s interest in the Loony Dook began with a bet. Last summer she and Erskine President Dr. Steve Adamson led a group of alumni and friends on a trip to Scotland, among them Bobby Clarke, a 1987 Erskine graduate and the college’s Vice President for Operations and Strategic Planning. At the time, Bobby was hoping to return to Scotland in the winter and participate in the Loony Dook himself. Mrs. Adamson said she would do it too. “I said, ‘I doubt that,’” Bobby recalls. “I was sure she would not run into the North Sea.”

As it turned out, Bobby was not able to return to Scotland, but he and Mrs. Adamson made a deal: If she took the New Year’s Day plunge, she could choose a prize.

The two have a history of such competitions. “As is usually the case, we made a friendly wager,” Bobby says. “As usual, I lost.”

There’s photographic and video evidence that Bobby had lost the bet. While Mrs. Adamson, Ginger, and Margaret were getting splashed by freezing waves, their husbands documented the adventure on camera.

Later, chilled but happy, the women looked at the photographs and video and realized there was something that set them apart from the other participants—most Loony Dookers were wearing swimsuits. There in the middle of it all, Ginger jokes, “were three women in coats!” The president found a drone video of the event on YouTube and was able to distinguish his wife and her friends by their coats.

So what is Erskine’s first lady’s prize for her plucky dash into the cold waves of the North Sea? At her request, Bobby has agreed to build several birdhouses, constructed from old siding salvaged from a shed behind the President’s Home, where the siding is being replaced. The birdhouses will be sold at Erskine’s Flower & Garden Show in May. He also hopes to create a birdhouse replica of the Erskine Building.

And what did the first lady have to say to all this? With a smile she said, “Anything to help raise money for Erskine.”

Shown at top of page, from left, are Ginger Pitts, Margaret Calder, and Von Adamson.

Click on the video below to see a few Loony Dook moments.

Erskine and Due West Skyline

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Erskine College admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

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